DrPuma Sundaresan

Project Opportunities

Title: Determining optimal dental care for Australian head and neck cancer patients and identifying their unmet dental care needs

Summary of opportunity:

We are seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from highly motivated candidates interested in pursuing a PhD program in health services research within the cancer care context. This program of research will explore the dental needs of survivors of head and neck cancer in Australia, and perspectives of clinicians. The successful candidate will be expected to apply for a PhD Scholarship through the Research Training Program (RTP) University of Sydney and/or NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship simultaneous with their university enrolment and/or in the first year of their PhD.

Opportunity synopsis:

Head and neck cancer (HNC) refers to a complex group of cancers that arise in the mouth, throat, salivary glands, sinuses, or skin of the head and neck region. Treatment is often multimodal, combining surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. Even though survival for HNC is improving, survivors often experience acute and long-term side effects of treatment than can impact on their ability to successfully re-engage in activities after treatment. Dental health is critical to optimal survivorship after treatment for HNC, however access to and uptake of services is inequitable and current funding models are inadequate to address these inequities. Understanding the experiences of patients relating to dental survivorship after treatment for HNC, as well as perspectives of clinicians, is critical to developing appropriate resources, funding models, and guidelines to ensure equitable access to appropriate care at the right time.

This project will involve working with patients and caregivers, clinicians, health care providers, and consumer advocacy groups. Studies would be framed by health services research and public health approaches and could include: 1) systematic review of current guidelines; 2) modified Delphi consensus process; 3) retrospective audit/cohort study to evaluate current practice and patterns of care; 4) resource development; and 5) pilot implementation of an intervention to improve adherence to clinical practice guidelines.